Sigur Rós - Valtari

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past decade there's a strong chance that you've watched a documentary, advertisement or compilation of TV show "highlights" or "best bits" that has been soundtracked by the strange ethereal Vonlenska (made-up language) of Sigur Rós. Their biggest and most widely-known piece, Hoppípolla, has just about featured on every BBC wildlife documentary of the past 5 years, and also been remixed by Chicane as Poppiholla. Now that frontman Jónsi has had a go at a solo record, the band are poised to release their first studio effort in four years.

Considering that the playlists of stuff that, recently released, I listen to regularly, contain genres and artists varying from Regina Spektor to A$AP Rocky, Best Coast to Saint Etienne, it's often easy to overlook an artist and their entire uniquity. Prior to listening to this, their sixth studio album, I sort-of treated the prospect with a sense of arrogant assumption and nonchalance. Sure, their material is very definable as 'Sigur Rós', but that first taste of their music and the celestial magnificence that you're filled with was a little overlooked.

It's just that, even in spite of their welcome return, the album's whole multiple-videos-from-different-directors shtick and its general lack of musical highlights makes this one of the most satisfying disappointments one can possibly endure. The music is much of what you'd expect from the band; long, drawn-out, melodic and indecipherable, extraordinarily pretty but ultimately nonsense.

It pains me to say it but I just don't care about them in light of this.

Rating: 5/10
Highlights: Ég anda, Varðeldur
Avoid: n/a

Artwork Watch: It would seem the Avengers' Helicarrier's invisibility shield went down over Iceland.
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